Due to the economic and labor needs of the countries, it is possible to grant the citizenship of their own country to the citizens of foreign countries in various ways. This is known as acquired citizenship. In the 14th article of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, citizenship statuses acquired subsequently are divided into four as general acquisition of Turkish citizenship, exceptional acquisition of Turkish citizenship, re-acquisition of Turkish citizenship and acquisition of Turkish citizenship through marriage. In this article, the subject of Turkish citizenship acquisition through real estate investment, which is one of the exceptional acquisition methods of Turkish citizenship, will be explained.
In the past, as a condition of acquiring Turkish citizenship through real estate, it was deemed appropriate to purchase real estate with a minimum value of 1,000,000 USD in Turkey. It is made possible by purchasing real estate in the amount of 250.000 USD or equivalent in foreign currency or equivalent in Turkish Lira. This change is the reason why it is the most preferred method to acquire Turkish citizenship through real estate. In case the necessary conditions are met for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship by real estate investment, the right of Turkish citizenship is also provided to the spouses of the investor foreign country citizens and to the minor or dependent foreign child of himself and his spouse. In order to acquire Turkish citizenship through real estate investment, according to subparagraph b of paragraph 2 of Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law;
- Purchasing real estate or establishing a condominium or condominium servitude at least 250.000 USD or equivalent in foreign currency or equivalent,
- To have the purchased real estate annotated in the land registry on the condition that it is not sold for 3 years, or to annotate the notarized contract regarding the promise of sale of the real estate for which the fee is paid in advance, with the commitment that the transfer and cancellation will not be made for 3 years,
- All these situations should be determined by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.
It would be appropriate to explain the concepts of “condominium” and “floor servitude” mentioned above:
- floor easement; It is defined as the property right of a building whose construction has not been completed yet. Floor easement is a type of easement depending on the land share, and is ex officio converted into floor ownership in accordance with the conditions set forth in the Floor Ownership Law No. 634, based on the occupancy permit to be issued for the entire building.
- If the condominium is; It can be explained as the property right established in the buildings whose construction has been completed and where the occupancy certificate has been obtained for the said building.
Conditions for Acquiring Citizenship by Real Estate Investment
- In the event that foreign nationals who want to acquire Turkish citizenship by real estate acquisition, sell or dispose of the relevant real estate after putting an annotation that the real estate they have purchased with a minimum value of 250.000 USD or other foreign currency or Turkish lira can not be sold for 3 years, their citizenship applications or their current citizenship can be canceled within the framework of obtaining citizenship by real estate investment. is being done.
- It is also possible to realize a real estate with a minimum amount of 250.000 USD or equivalent in foreign currency or Turkish lira as a result of purchasing more than one real estate. In such cases, in order for foreign nationals to acquire Turkish citizenship by real estate investment, all their real estates must have separate title deeds, each must belong to the same investor, and all of them must be declared unsold for 3 years.
- In order to acquire Turkish citizenship through real estate acquisition, the real estate valuation must be reported by an authorized/licensed expert by the Capital Markets Board.
Documents Required for Real Estate Investment and Citizenship Acquisition
1- Application form
2- 2 biometric photos
3- Passport with original and notarized Turkish translation
4- Document showing the applicant’s identity information
5- Health report
6- If the applicant has 1st or 2nd degree relatives of Turkish Citizens, a copy of the birth certificate of these people
7- Document showing the applicant’s marital status (if the applicant is married, marriage certificate, a copy of the birth certificate stating the spouse and children)
8- If the applicant is divorced, the document proving this situation, if he is a widow, his spouse’s death certificate
9- If the applicant’s child under the age of 18 is also requested to acquire Turkish citizenship, a document showing the consent of the parent and notarized Turkish translation, which is issued by the notary public in Turkey, or by the foreign representative office or the competent authorities of the country abroad.
10- If only the applicant’s year of birth is known, if the month and day is unknown, a document from his/her home country to add these dates
11th- Document showing that the service fee has been paid to the Finance
Documents Required for Real Estate Purchased for Real Estate Investment
Some documents need to be prepared in order to determine the real estate purchased for the acquisition of Turkish citizenship by the Capital Markets Board and then the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. In addition to the personal documents to be prepared by the foreign national investor who will apply for citizenship, the documents that must be prepared for the real estate purchased are as follows:
- Deed of the real estate or information of village/neighborhood, island, parcel, building, independent section
- Real Estate Fair Value Certificate
- Compulsory earthquake insurance policy for buildings such as residences and workplaces
Turkish Citizenship Acquisition Process with Real Estate Investment
- First of all, it is necessary to purchase one or more real estates with a minimum value of 250.000 USD or equivalent in foreign currency or equivalent in Turkish lira, the amount of which has been determined by an authorized/licensed expert by the Capital Markets Board.
- Provided that the purchased real estate is not sold for 3 years, it must be annotated to the Land Registry Directorate.
- For the immovable annotated to the title deed, a conformity response based on the acceptance of the application from the Land Registry Office must be received.
- A letter must be obtained from the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs stating that the real estate purchased is eligible for citizenship.
- With the eligibility answer, an application for a residence permit must be made to the Immigration Administration in the province where the real estate is located.
- The residence permit card, which will usually arrive within a few weeks, must be sent by the General Directorate of Migration Management.
- All personal documents requested from the foreigner must be approved by the authorities of their own country.
- It is sufficient to obtain the residence permit only by the real estate investor. Family members of the investor are not required to obtain a residence permit for Turkish citizenship.
Concluding the Process of Acquiring Turkish Citizenship by Real Estate Investment
- After obtaining the residence permit, it is also possible to apply for citizenship to the Provincial Population and Citizenship Directorate in the governorates.
- After the necessary documents and process are fulfilled, the citizenship applications of foreigners are evaluated by the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs; The decision regarding the acquisition of Turkish Citizenship by persons who do not have any obstacles in terms of national security and public order is submitted to the approval of the President. The final decision is made by the President.
- It takes approximately 2-4 months to finalize the citizenship application of the foreigner, which is evaluated by the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs and approved by the President.
Pursuant to Article 12 of the Turkish Citizenship Law, whether the persons holding short-term residence permit as a result of acquiring Turkish citizenship through investment are entitled to Turkish citizenship is determined by the decision of the President. Pursuant to the Turkish Citizenship Law and the Regulation on the Implementation of the Turkish Citizenship Law, subsequent citizenship acquisition does not spread to the spouses. However, in the case of acquisition of citizenship by investment, which is an exception to this situation, that is, in the case of Turkish citizenship by real estate investment, it is possible to grant the right of citizenship to the foreign investor’s spouse, minor or dependent foreign child, as well as the foreign investor’s foreign investor.
CUBAN 